You can also block the sender, so they can no longer message or call you through WhatsApp.

To block a number that isn’t saved to your phone, open the WhatsApp conversation and hit Block. You can also report the user as Spam.

If you’ve received a spam message from one of your contacts, you can block them by tapping the menu button on the WhatsApp home screen, selecting Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked contacts, and adding that contact to your Blocked list.

It is unknown how many users have been targeted or how the scammers obtained the phone numbers.

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